Garment-supporter



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM G. "WASHBURN, OF THOMASTON, MAINE.

GARMENT-SUPPORTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561 ,460, dated June 2, 1896. Application filed March 9, 1896.- fierial No. 582,4 97- (No model.)

To all witom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM G. WAsH- BURN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Thomaston, in the county of Knox and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment-Supporters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in garment-supporters, and is designed more especially for hose or stocking supporters; and the object of the invention is to provide such a supporter in which I dispense with the use I 5 of a rubber elastic, which is constantly wearing out and giving way before the remaining portions of the supporter have become worn out. In lieu of the rubber elastic I provide a steel spring which is of exceedingly simple construction and which will not wear out or break no matter how long the supporter is used.

The invention is illustrated in the accom panying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a hose or stocking supporter constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail showing the spring portion separated from the cloth portions of the supporter, and Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the helical spring and the slides detached from each other.

In the drawings the upper portion of the supporter, which is designed to be secured to the waist or belt, is shown at A, and the 3 5 lower portion, which attaches to the stocking or other part to be supported, at B, these parts being of the ordinary or any desired construction. These parts have usually been connected by a rubber elastic; but, as is well 0 known, the elastics soon lose their life and become worn out and useless long before the other parts of the supporter are injured in the least.

The means by which I secure an elastic cf- 4 5 feet consists of two plates or slides O O, which are identical in shape. Each consists of a head portion 0, having a transverse slot, and a body portion 0 having two longitudinal slots extending nearly the full length thereof, these slots leaving a central strip of metal 0 and the two side strips 0 c. I connect these two parts together by placing them face to face, with their heads reversed or at opposite ends, and coiling around the two central strips 0 a helical spring D, the spring completely encircling the two central strips and extending the whole length thereof, so that its opposite ends bear against the ends of the slots. The spring thus serves as the means for connectin g the two slides together, while at the same time it will yield to permit the slides to move longitudinally of each other, as shown in dotted lines.

The upper and lower cloth portions A and B are passed through or secured to the trans verse slots in the head, as shown in Fig. 1, and it Will thus be seen that any strain upon the supporter will cause the heads to be drawn in opposite directions, and the spring will thus be compressed to provide the necessary elastic effect. The spring thus subjected to compression I make of fine steel, and it will in every instance outlast the other parts of the elastic, and even should the spring, by reason of a defect in the metal, become broken it will still give the same elastic effect, as the parts will stay coiled around the central strips or bars and, bearing against each other, end to end, will give the necessary spring action.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In combination with the upper and lower portions of an elastic, the two plates having each two slots forming central strips, ahelical spring encircling said strips, and means for securing the. said portions of the elastic to said plates, substantially as described.

I 2. A spring for garment-supporters comprising the two plates having each a trans verse slot at one end and two longitudinal slots forming a central strip, said plates being reversed in relation to each other, and a helical spring encircling said central strip and having its ends bearing against the ends of the slots, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

IVILLIAM G. WVASHBURN.

Witnesses:

EDWARD BROWN,- W. A. NEWOOMBE. 

